Key Takeaways
- 1Solo dates are not sad, they are self respect.
- 2A tight budget does not block self love.
- 3Getting ready for yourself sends a powerful message.
- 4Intentional alone time builds real confidence.
- 5You do not need an audience to live a main character life.
If you are waiting for the right friend group, relationship, or “perfect moment” to start living your life, this is your sign to stop. Book the date. Pack the bag. Go outside. You already have everything you need: you.
This whole vlog day started simple. No groceries. Tight budget. Slightly crusty lips. A random Wednesday in Florida. Nothing glamorous on paper. Still, it turned into one of those quietly perfect days where you look around and think, “Wow, I really love my life.”
That is the energy I want for you.
Solo Dates Are Not Sad, They Are Self Respect
There is a huge difference between being alone and being lonely.
Alone is you, your thoughts, your snacks, and a plan you made for yourself. Lonely is being surrounded by people who do not really see you or get you.
Solo dates help you build a relationship with the one person you are stuck with forever: you. When you take yourself out, you send your brain a very clear message: “I am worth time, effort, and attention, even when nobody else is around to give it to me.”
So instead of waiting on:
- Friends to have the same day off
- A partner to magically appear and plan something cute
- Family to visit your city
You can wake up, get dressed, grab your keys, and take yourself somewhere that feels good. A park. A coffee shop. A bench by the water. A patch of grass with decent lighting for selfies. All valid.
Low Budget Does Not Mean Low Quality
My bank account is in a very “sit down” season right now. Rent, bills, groceries, life. You get it. A lot of people think self love has to look like spa days, shopping trips, or expensive dinners. That version exists, sure, and that season will come.
Right now my solo dates look like:
- Dunkin hash browns instead of a full brunch
- An acai bowl, not a luxury restaurant
- A park that is completely free
- Tanning by the pool at my apartment
The cost is low. The value is high. I still get cute, feel the sun on my skin, read a good book, and go home with a better mood and a better tan. Self love is not the price tag. It is the intention.
If your budget is tight, you can still:
- Pack snacks from home
- Make coffee at home and sip it at a park
- Bring an old blanket, not a Pinterest looking setup
- Use the notes app instead of a fancy journal
The point is time with yourself, not a perfect aesthetic.
Getting Ready For Yourself Changes Everything
One small self love habit that hits every time: get ready for you.
Makeup, hair, perfume, jewelry, a cute fit. Not for a date. Not for a party. For you. On a random morning.
When you take time to:
- Moisturize your skin
- Do your edges
- Put on lip gloss so your future self does not roast you during editing
- Add jewelry, even just small pieces
You prove to yourself that you are worth effort on a regular day. Not just special occasions. Those tiny choices add up and quietly shift how you see yourself. Confidence grows when you keep treating yourself like someone important.
Intentional Alone Time Hits Different
You can live alone, scroll alone, eat alone, and still never really be with yourself.
The real shift happens when you add intention. You are not just killing time. You are choosing to spend time with you.
That might look like:
- Turning off podcasts and sitting with silence for a bit
- Reading a few pages of a book that feeds your mind
- Journaling honest thoughts, not just aesthetic quotes
- Putting your phone away so you can actually see the trees, water, people, sky
At the park I brought:
- A sheet to sit on
- A book (The Power of Now still has me in a chokehold)
- A journal
- My phone on low priority, not center stage
That small shift turned “just sitting outside” into a real date with myself.
Let People Think Whatever They Want
In a lot of places, sitting alone at a restaurant or park gets labeled as weird or embarrassing. You can feel people’s eyes on you and your brain starts making stories: “They think I have no friends. They think I got stood up. They think I am awkward.”
Newsflash: most people are thinking about themselves.
Other countries treat solo time as normal. We can choose that mindset too. When you sit alone confidently, you give other people permission to do the same. You become proof that being seen by yourself in public is not tragic. It is grown.
Here is the truth:
- You are allowed to enjoy your own company.
- You are allowed to take up space with no entourage.
- You are allowed to sit on a blanket, eat your food, and smile at a lake like it is a movie scene.
Let them stare. You are busy living.
From “This Feels Weird” To “I Need This”
I used to call my mom crying when I first started living alone. My thoughts felt loud. The house felt too quiet. My brain kept reaching for distractions. That is normal at the beginning.
Growth came from not running from that feeling.
The more time I spent alone, the more comfortable it felt. Over time, my body went from “this is scary” to “I need this.” Now if I go too long without solo time, my social battery packs its bags and leaves.
If alone time still feels uncomfortable for you, start small:
- Sit outside by yourself for 20 to 30 minutes
- Put your phone on do not disturb for a short window
- Notice your thoughts without judging them
- Remind yourself that discomfort just means “new,” not “bad”
You cannot build a strong relationship with yourself if you never spend time with you.
Give Yourself A Main Character Life, Right Where You Are
By the end of the day I had:
- A solo park date
- Time in the sun by the pool
- A sponsor segment filmed
- Content captured
- A slightly better tan
- A much better mood
None of this required a vacation or a new city. Just presence, intention, and a decision: I am not waiting for someone to invite me to my own life.
You deserve that too.
So plan a small solo date this week. It does not have to be fancy. Grab a drink, sit outside, breathe, and let yourself enjoy your own company.
You are not “too much” for wanting deeper moments. You are not “not enough” for doing them alone. You are the main character, and your life is happening right now.
